We passed through Jericho on a Sunday morning, stopping atop a hill overlooking the city. There we worshiped. Clint Bateman sang “The King is Coming,” as only Clint Bateman could. We remembered Joshua’s victory there and Jesus’ journey through the city on his way to Jerusalem.
As a tax collector, Zacchaeus possessed powerful connections in the city. By now he had heard of Jesus healing a blind man. He climbed up in a tree to see Jesus, never imagining that Jesus had already seen him. Inviting himself to Zacchaeus’s home, Jesus transformed his life. In one day he changed from a thief to a generous benefactor. This is what Jesus does to people. He changes them.
If a person tells you who they are, believe them. Jesus identified himself as the powerful Son of Man in Daniel’s prophecies. Why did Jesus come into the world? In Matthew 20:28 he tells us he came to serve. In Jericho, our King said he had come to seek and to save the lost.
What if we aligned ourselves with Jesus’ mission in life? What if we saw our work as seeking and saving the lost? This is different, I know, from protecting ourselves from the bad people who are trying to change our world. This is what Jesus came into the world to do: to seek and save the lost.
This morning I thanked one of my atheist friends for his service to our country. His license plate reminded me he won a purple heart. So, I thanked him as I petted his yellow Labrador retriever. Walking away I heard him say, “Thank you for preaching. Somebody needs to.” Jesus changes people. If he can save us, he can save anybody. Remember, Jesus does not just have a mission for us, his church. He has us, his church, for his mission to seek and to save the lost.
